No one injured in Revere explosion

REVERE – No one was injured when a van exploded in an Augustus Street driveway Monday, briefly catching the adjoining house on fire.Deputy Fire Chief Greg Menard said firefighters arrived at 6:15 p.m. to find the van fully engulfed and the right side of a house at 110 Augustus St. on fire. Crews managed to extinguish the fire quickly, resulting in only exterior damage to the home. However, the van was destroyed.The heat from the fire caused a window next door at 112 Augustus St. to blow out.David Villa lives across the street and came outside when he heard loud explosion-type noises.”I heard a couple of explosions and when I came out, the car was on fire,” Villa said.Ulises Santos, 36, of 110 Augustus St., said he was working on an automobile battery on his van when it began smoking around 6:15 p.m.”I tried to start the van. After five times I saw smoke,” Santos said. “When I saw the flames I put a little water on it but it wasn’t enough, so I called 911,” he said.Santos went inside and grabbed his 9-month-old daughter before calling 911 a second time, he said.”It’s just a van,” Santos said. “We’re OK and that’s what’s important.”Deputy Fire Chief Greg Menard ruled the fire “accidental.”